Desert Xpress Train Nearing Construction; Mag-Lev Still an Option?
I've written before on two competing high speed rail trains proposed for the Mojave Desert, which would connect Victorville and Las Vegas. According to the developers of Desert Xpress, their high speed rail project is close to breaking ground and could be operating in 2013. What is not clear is whether or not the Desert Xpress would take the place of the proposed Mag-Lev train or if they could offer duplicate mass transit service crossing the Mojave. The Mag-Lev train reportedly received nearly 7 billion dollars in financial backing from China. The draft environmental impact statement for the Desert Xpress was published last year, and indicates that the route mostly stays close to Interstate 15. However, sections of the route would veer away from the I-15 into creosote scrubland, and even cross the Ivanpah Valley in the vicinity of the proposed Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System. The route would also traverse the edges of Desert Wildlife Management Areas as well a